Car-door-locking means



April 15, 1930. A. CAMPBELL 1,754,221

' CAR DOOR-LOCKING MEANS Filed May 2. 1925 RGYLE CAMPBELL Patented Apr. 15, 1930 UN ETED ST ATS ARGYLE CAMPBELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ENTERPRISE RAILWAY EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS CAR-DOOR-LOCKING MEANS Application filed May 2,

My invention relates to improvements in car door locking means.

It is an object of my invention to provide a simple and inexpensive arrangement whereby a dumping door may be readily swung from open to closed position by hand and securely locked in closed position.

It is also an object of my invention to use the door lifting means as the means of locking the door and to provide means whereby considerable force may be available to the operator for the purpose of forcing the door to its final closed position.

Furthermore, my invention resides in certain other features of design and details of construction such as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter and claimed.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of a twin door type of dump car having my improvements incorporated therein, the twin doors being shown in full lines in fully closed position, and the open position of one door being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken transversely of the car and corresponding sub stantially to the line "22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan'view of the endportion of one of the doors and itscorresponding locking mechanism as viewed from beneath the door. Fig. at is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line i-d of Fig. 1. And Fig ure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View, corresponding to a vertical section taken through the bracket F in Figure 2.

In said drawing, I have illustrated only sufficient of a dump car construction of the twin door type necessary to an understanding of my invention, it being evident that the improved locking mechanism will be duplicated for each set of twin doors, and also that the locking mechanism may be applied to dump cars of different types.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, portions of the side walls of the car are indicated at 10, the same being converged inwardly for a distance as indicated at 11 near their lower ends, and thence extended down vertically as indicated at 12. The vertical sections 12 are of more or less triangular out 1925. Serial 110.27362.

line, as viewed in side elevation, and shown in Figure l, the lower edges of said vertical sections 12 being preferably reinforced by plate 13 riveted thereto. The discharge opening adapted to be closed by two doors lee-1 1, the latter being pivoted to suitable hinge butts 1515 to adapt the doors to swing about axes extending transversely of the car, the doors swinging oppositely and having their free edges meeting when the doors are in closed position, as clearly indicated in Figure 1. Each of the doors is braced or reinforced along its free edge by an inverted U or channel shaped brace 16 riveted thereto and terminating within the flanged side edges l7-17 of the door. The side flanges of the channel or U-brace have their free edges out-turned or oppositely extended as indicated at iii-18.

To look the doors in closed position, 1 cmploy the following arrangement, it being understood that the arrangement is duplicated on each side of the car, it being customary on this type of car to dispose the doors on the respective sides of the centersill in Figures 2 and 8 and to operate a pair of such transversely aligned doors simultaneously by connecting the doors by means of t 1e brace 16 bridging the space between the respective doors across the centersill construction.

On each side of the car I employ, foreach set of doors, oppositely disposed shouldered bracket members designated generally by the reference character A. Inasmuch as the locln ing arrangements at each end of the door and for each deer are all the same, the description herein given will be confined to one of the locking units and associated parts. Each bracket A is formed with a web or flanged section 19 having a portion overlying the reinforcing plate 13 and also having a portion extending above the said plate 13 and lying against the plate 12, said flange section 19 being riveted to the sheet 12 as snown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Below the flange section 19 each bracket A is formed with two arms or depending portions B and O which are spaced an appreciable distance from each other. The said arms extend in a general direction perpendicular to the main plane of the corresponding door when the latter is in closed positions, and are outwardly offset from the flange section 19 as indicated best at 20 in Figure 2, so as to provide clearance for the side edges of the .door and allow the main portions of the latter to abut snugly against the lower edges of the reinforced sheets 12, as will be clear from an inspection of Fig. 2. Said arm B is formed intermediate its ends and at a distance somewhat below the level of the door with a shoulder 21, which extends substantially parallel to the plane of the corresponding door when the said door is in closed position, and is formed near its outer edge with a flared portion 22. That portion of the arm B below the shoulder 21 is tapered as at 23 to present a beveled surface to the said shoulder 21, for a purpose to be hereinafter described. Said shoulder 21 is adapted to accommodate a lever D which is pivotally mounted on the corresponding door 14, and adapted to swing in a plane parallel to the main plane of the door.

On the depending arm C of the bracket A there is mounted a locking cam E which is adapted to be swung in the path of the lever D when the latter is in operative position beneath the door and resting on the shoulder 21 of the bracket A. Said cam E is preferably pivotally mounted on a trunnion 24 formed integrally with the arm B and is maintained in operative relation by means of a washer 25 and a rivet 26, the latter being formed to pass through the trunnion and maintain the parts in assembled relation as shown in Fig. 4. Ad-

jacent the center of rotation of the cam E there is formed a flange 27 of arcuate form, the respective ends of which constitute stops to limit the movement of the cam E. The ent of the flange 27 as at 28 provides a stop for the cam when rotated to an inoperative position and the end 29 provides a stop to limit the movement of the cam when it is in operative position as indicated in Fig. 1. Each of the cams E is provided with a laterally extending projection 30 which forms a fingerhold for the operator or presents a suitable projection which may be struck with a hammer for the purpose of releasing the mechanism. It will be noted that each cam E swings about an axis which is disposed at right angles to the axis of the respective look ing bar D so that the edge of the cam E may be forced tightly against the bar, and the lat-- ter thereby securely held.

The outer end of each lever D or that portion projecting beyond the bracket A is preferably rounded as indicated at 31 to present a handle for an operator to grasp the door and lift or swing it to a closed position. Each of said levers or bars D is preferably mounted within the U-shaped brace 16 on a pivot 32 which is disposed an appreciable distance from the side edge of the door and its adjacent bracket A, and for the purpose of providing a generous degree of swinging movement to the bar, one of the side flanges of the U-shaped brace is cut away as indicated at 33. By cutting away the portion 33 of the door brace 16, the brace 16 is thus left, at its end, of Z-cross section with one flange of the Z-section secured directly to the door plate, the web of the Z-section extending perpendicularly outwardly from the door plate and the other flange of the Z-section extending parallel to the door plate but spaced therefrom. A preferred manner of mounting the bar D on the door is to dispose a plate 3 1 beneath the bar and securely rivet such plate to the outstanding flanges 18 of the brace 16 by means of rivets 35 and a ferrule 36 is interposed between the bar D and the door plate, and the bolt 32 passes through the door plate, ferrule 36, bar D and the plate 34.

Adjacent the side flange 17 of the door, T

there is mounted a supporting member or bracket F which acts as a support for the bar D intermediate its ends. Said bracket F is formed with angularly related walls as indicate'd at 37 and 38 respectively, united by an integrally formed wall 39. The wall 37 is secured to the body of the door plate by means of rivets 10, and a certain portion of the said wall 37 is formed to overlie the inner flange of said Z-section of the U-shaped beam 16, one of the said rivets 10 passing through the wall 37, the said flange and the door plate. The wall 38 is riveted to the side edge flange 17 of the door 14 by means of rivets 12, which are countersunk on the outer face of the door, and the connecting wall 39 of the bracket F is secured to the web of said Z-section of the beam 16 by means of a rivet 43. In this manner the bracket F forms a continuation of the beam 16 to the extreme side edge of the door and the connecting rivets disposed in three different planes insures against tilting movement of the bracket member F in any direction. The depending wall 38 of the bracket F is formed with an elongated slot 44; within which the bar member D is adapted to have sliding movement, the edges around the slot where the member D is adapted to have contact being formed with a shelf or beading 45 which presents transversely widened surfaces to resist wear due to sliding of the bar D thereon. The walls at each end of the slot as indicated at 46 and 47 respectively limit the swinging movement of the bar, the extent of movement of the bar being indicated in Fig. 3 wherein the bar as in locked position is shown in full lines and from such position is movable to the position indicated by dotted lines, in which position it is clear of the shoulder 21 of the bracket member A.

The operation of the device is as follows: Assuming the parts to be in locked position as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the operator, to release the door shown in the left-hand portion of the figure, first releases the cam it by rotating it in an anti-clockwise direction until such time as it rests on the end 28 of the arcuate flange 27 when the operator then displaces the projecting end of the lever I) in direuion towards the hinge end of the door, (either by pushing or striking the same with an operating tool) until such time as the lever D moves tree of the shoulder 21 when the door will open due to the weight of the door and the lading in the car, the door then depending in a vertical position as indicated by dotted lines. To raise the door, the operator (there being one operator at each end of the door to lift one of the doors) grasps the handle portion 31 of the lover I) and thereby lifts the door to the closed position or a partially closed position and then moves the lever towards the free edge of the door in the path of the shoulder 21 of the bracket member A and inasmuch as the outer end of the shoulder 21 is flared as at 22 there is a certain degree of Wedging action atlorded to wedge the door to tightly closed position and compensate for irregularities due to warping of the door or associated parts. It is to be noted that the lever is free to movein the slot and will normally gravitate to the outer edge of the slot and will normally remain in this position during the door raising operation until such time as the body of the said lever D contacts with the beveled portion 23 of the bracket A when it will be automatically moved to the extreme outer edge of the shoulder 21 and in readiness to be moved into engagement with the same atthe will of the operator. The bar D having been brought into operative position on the shoulder 21 it is locked into such position by swinging the cam E into the path thereof.

It will thus be seen that the device may be easily operated without the use of any special tools, and can be cheaply and easily manufactured and applied at small cost, and the mechanism insures the doors being maintained in fully closed position even under full load.

I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carry-- ing out the invention, but the sameis merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1; In a dump car, the combination with a dumping door having a beam extending adjacent the free edge thereof; of a fixed shouldered bracket on the car; a lever member on the door, said lever being pivotally connected to said beam and mounted to swing in a plane substantially parallel with the plane otthe door and projecting beyond the door and adapted to engage the sl-iouldered bracket to maintain the door in locked position, said lever beingarranged to transmit the bearing stresses thereon to said beam; and a member pivotally mounted on the bracket for maintaining the lever in locked position beneath the door.

2. In a dump car, the combination with a dumping door; of a lever pivotally mounted on the door for swinging movement in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the door, said lever being extended beyond the tree edge of the door and formed with a handle whereby the door may be lifted; a shouldered bracket lined to the car adjacent the side edge of the door, said shoulder being adapted to receive the lever to lock the door in closed position; and. a cam pivotally mounted on the car to lock the lever in position beneath the door.

3. In a dump car, the combination with a dump door; of a bar pivot-ally mounted on the door to swing in a plane substantially parallel to the main plane of the door; a shouldered bracket fixed to the car and adapted to engage said bar beyond the door; a bracket fired to the door and co-operable with the bar to limit its swinging: movement, said bracket lying between the pivotal connection of the bar and the "fixed bracket on the car when the door is in closed position; and means carried by the car for locking the bar againstmevement when the door is in closed position, said means comprising an edge cam pivotally mounted. to move on an axis disposed substantially at right angles to the axis ot the pivotally mounted bar, the edge oi said cam trictionally engaging the bar when in operating position to lock the bar against movement.

4. In a dump car, the combination with a dump door; of a fixed bracket carried by the car structure, said bracket having a plurality of extensions depending therefrom and spaced appreciably from each other, one o l said extensions having a shoulder formedtl, reon an d the other of said extensions having a tr nnion fired relatively thereto; a movable locking; bar carried by the car door, said locking bar being adapted to engage the shoulder on the bracket when the door is locked in closed position; and a locking member pivotally mounted on the trunnion and co-operable with the locking bar on the door to lock the same in position.

5. In a dump car, the combination with a dumping door; of a shouldered bracket on the car, said bracket having a portion spaced from the shoulder and depending below the.

door; a pivoted lever mounted on the door, said lever being co-o erablewith the shoulder on the bracket to lock the door in closed position: and; a locking element carried by the said depending portion of the bracket, said element being adapted to lock the lever against movement.

6. In a dump car, the combination with a dump door, of a movable element carried by the door; and a fixed element carried by the car body, said fixed element including a bracket having a web secured to the car body and having an extension provided with an abutment with which the movable element on the door is adapted to engage to lock the door in position, said bracket having also another portion extending in the same direction as the aforesaid extension but spaced therefrom; a trunnion formed integrally with the last named depending portion; and a cam pivotally mounted on the said trunnion and co-operable with the movable element on the door to lock the same in position.

7. In a dump car, the combination with a dumping door of a movable door supporting member on the door having limited swinging movement relatively to the door; a bracket on the car structure having depending portions adapted to extend within the plane of the supporting member when the door is in closed position, one of said depending portions having a shoulder formed thereon and the other having a locking element associated therewith.

8. In a dump car, the combination with a dump door having a side margin thereof rigidified by a flange normal to the main plane of the door; a beam on the door terminating adiacent the said flange; a bracket connecting the said flange and beam; a lever pivotally mounted on the door inwardly of the said flange, said lever extending into engagement with. the bracket and beyond the edge of the door: and a ledge on the car structure with which the lever is adapted to engage to maintain the door in closed position.

9. In a dump car, the combination with a dump door: of a beam fixed to the door and having aplurality of parallelly extending webs spaced from each other, each of said webs including an outstanding flange spaced from the main'plane of the door, a plate extending between and secured to the respective flanges of said beam; a swingable bar in engagement with the said plate; a bracket on the door in engagement with the said. bar and a shouldered bracket on the car adapted to engage the bar beyond the bracket on the door.

10. In a railway car, the combination with a dumping door, said door having a flange adjacent the side edge thereof; of a beam secured to the door near the free edge thereof, said beam having a web lying substantially normal to the plane of the door; a bracket secured to the door, said bracket having angularly related flanges respectively secured to the flange of the door and to the body of the door, said flanges being united by another flange secured to the web of the beam, the flange secured to the flange of the door having a slot therein; a bar passing through the said slot, said bar being pivoted inwardly of the bracket and having a portion extended beyond the edge of the door; and means on the car engaging said projecting portion of the bar.

11. In a railway car having a lading discharge opening, the combination with a hinged door for closing said opening, the door being movable to open position under the influence of gravity; of means for bracing the door along its free edge remote from the hinge axis thereof, said means extending parallel thereto and, at the ends thereof, being of Z-formation with the web section extending substantially at right angles to the plane of the main sheet of the door and with the flanges thereof disposed substantially parallel to the plane of the main sheet of the door, the outer flange being disposed an appreciable distance from said main sheet; a latch pivotally mounted on the door adjacent the side edge thereof and movable about an axis disposed substantially parallel to said web section of the Z-formation; a bracketrigidly secured to the car body having a ledge cooperable with the latch to retain the door in closed position; means cooperating with the latch to lock the same in closed position; and means for guiding and restraining the latch to movement in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the main door sheet, said means including a member engaging with the side of the latch farthest from the door sheet, said'member being secured to said Z-formation.

12. Ina railway car having a lading discharge opening, the combination with a hinged door for closing said opening, the door being movable to open position under the influence of gravity; of means for bracing the door along its free edge remote from the hinge axis thereof, said means extending parallel thereto and, at the ends thereof, being of Z-formation with the web section ex tending substantially at right angles to the plane of the main sheet of the door and with the flanges thereof disposed substantially parallel to the plane of the main sheet of the door, the outer flange being disposed an appreciable distance from said main sheet; a latch pivotally mounted. on the door adjacent the side edge thereof and movable about an axis disposed substantially parallel to said web section of the Z-formation; a bracket rigidly secured to the car body having a ledge cooperable with the latch to retain the door in closed position; means cooperating with the latch to lock the same in closed position; and a bracket having a portion thereof disposed on the outer side of the latch and against which the latter has slidable bearing engagement, said bracket being secured to said web section of the Z-formation.

13. In a railway car having a lading discharge opening, the combination with a hinged door for closing said opening, the

door having a side edge flange and being movable to open position under the influence of gravity; means for stiflening the free edge of the door remote from the hinge axis thereof, said means extending substantially parallel thereto and having a section extending substantially at right angles to the plane of the main door sheet and outwardly therefrom; a latch pivotally mounted on the door to swing in a plane substantially parallel to said main sheet of the door and adapted to project outwardly beyond said side edge flange; a bracket rigidly secured to the car body having a ledge cooperable with the extended end of the latch to hold the door in closed position; and a bracket secured to said section of said door bracing means and also to said side edge flange of the door, said bracket having portions disposed on opposite sides of the latch to guide and restrain the latter to movement in a plane substantially parallel to the main door sheet.

14. In a railway car having lading discharge openings on opposite sides of the censills, the combination with transversely aiined hinged doors for closing said openings the doors being movable to open position under the influence of gravity; means uniting said transversely alined doors and for bracing the free edges thereof remote from their hinge axes, said bracing means extending parallel to said free edges of the doors and being of Z-formation at each end with the Web sections disposed at right angles to the main plane of the door; a latch pivotally mounted adjacent the outer side edge of each of said doors, the pivotal mountings being carried by said bracing means and the latches being movable in planes substantially paral lel to the main planes of the doors and having their ends extended beyond the respective side edges of the doors; brackets rigidly secured to the car body at each side thereof and having ledges cooperable with the respective latches to retain the doors in closed position; means cooperable with each latch for locking the same; and a bracket associated with each latch, each bracket having a portion thereof disposed on the outer side of the latch, against which the latter has slidable bearing engagement, each bracket being secured to the Web section of said bracing means.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 29th day of April, 1925.

ARGYLE CAMPBELL. 

